Parent-Child Interaction Therapy: An Intensive Dyadic Intervention for Physically Abusive Families

Abstract

A designated priority in the field of child maltreatment is the development of empirical approaches for treating abusive families. This article describes parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT), an intervention that has been shown to be effective for helping parents manage young children with severe behavioral problems. The potential application of this treatment program to the child maltreatment field is examined by (a) providing a social learning perspective to explain the development and stability of some physically abusive parent-child relationships, (b) outlining the effectiveness of PCIT with similar populations, and (c) discussing the unique benefits that PCIT may offer the field of child maltreatment. The limitations of PCIT with physically abusive families are also discussed.

A positive behavioural intervention for toddlers: parent-child attunement therapy

“…It has also been documented to be effective in ameliorating those same problems among maltreated children (Borrego et al, 1999;Urquiza and McNeil, 1996). PCIT contains two phases, each of which is preceded by a didactic session.…”

Adapting an evidence-based intervention to improve social and behavioral competence in Head Start children: Evaluating the effectiveness of teacher-child interaction training

“…PCIT has also been successfully adapted for services with a wide range of populations. Examples include children with developmental delays (Eyberg & Matarrazzo, 1980), separation anxiety disorder (Pincus, Choate, Eyberg, & Barlow, 2005), chronic illness (Bagner, Fernandez, & Eyberg, 2004), histories of physical abuse (Chaffin et al, 2004;Urquiza & McNeil, 1996), and histories of general maltreatment (Fricker-Elhai, Ruggiero, & Smith, 2005 Mexican American (McCabe, Yeh, Garland, Lau, & Chavez, 2005), Puerto Rican (Matos 22 et al, 2006), Chinese (Leung, Tsang, Heung, & Yiu, in press), Norwegian (Bjørseth & Wormdal, 2005), and Australian families (Nixon, Sweeney, Erickson, & Touyz, 2003;Phillips, Morgan, Cawthorne, & Barnett, 2008). showed significantly greater reductions in reported parenting stress and improvements in disciplinary practices when compared with the waitlist control group.…”

Posttraumatic stress in children and adolescents exposed to family violence: II. Treatment.

“…The investigators indicated that their study participants typically experienced minor types of abuse, and noted the need for further evaluation of AF-CBT with children who experience severe physical abuse (Kolko, 1996). Parent-Child Interaction Therapy Parent-Child (PCIT) therapy was originally developed for children with externalizing behavior problems (Eyberg, 1988), but has now been suggested for physically abusive parents and their children (Urquiza & McNeil, 1996). PCIT is based on behavioral parenting principles and involves step-by-step live coaching of parent-child interactions.…”

“…Treatments also aim to lessen coercive interactions by emphasizing more positive and supportive parenting techniques, sometimes through direct coaching during observed parentchild interactions (Urquiza & McNeil, 1996). Kolko (1996) worked with the entire family to promote identification and reduction of coercive behaviors and to replace them with constructive problem solving and positive communication skills.…”